The Rearview Mirror
by captions
Summary: Both settled into new lives, Naomi and Emily must try and move forward after running into one another again.
1. Chapter 1

If there's one thing I've ever learned, it's that when confronted with an uncomfortable situation, the most mundane things become the most interesting. My eyes focused acutely on the beads of condensation rolling down the glass of tea in front of me. As a young girl, when driving through a rainstorm, my favorite game was to pick two unsuspecting raindrops that had settled on the window and watch them race down its slick surface. This glass was smaller than a car window, but the game still had the same mind-numbingly innocent effect, allowing time to slip by as quickly as the droplets, without having to endure the encounter at its fullest.

My attention flickered wordlessly between the glass of tea in front of me and Naomi's folded hands, particularly the scar right above her thumb, which time had healed into a white crescent moon shape, where she'd cut it on a mug in our kitchen, preparing our morning coffee.

Naomi ran her fingers across the scar, biting her bottom lip and averting her crystal blue eyes from mine, seeming to be sharing in the memory with me, wallowing in our abundance of mutual experience.

At that moment, I was vaguely aware I was being asked a question I was meant to respond to, and I answered before I had actually processed what had been said, a sick habit I couldn't seem to shake that resulted from both daydreaming and avoiding the inevitable.

"So you'll go to our wedding?" I realized had been the question, and in retrospect, my pre-process "Yeah, sure," had been the wrong choice. Apparently she had been prattling on about her fiancé, and all I could think about was a fucking scar on her thumb.

Naomi gave me the most heartbreaking half smile before reaching into her bag and handing me an embellished envelope, inside I assumed were enough words to break my already shattered heart. But she looked so sincere, as if I would love to watch her step down the silk lined aisle we'd planned so immensely, place her hands in someone else's and say "I do".

I stepped out of the café, hugging my deep blue hoodie closer to me against the imaginary cold, one word on repeat in my muddled brain, "Fuck."


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for all your reviews and story alerts, they mean a lot

Naomi knew Emily wasn't listening. She had that same far off look she'd get on their drive between universities. Where Naomi would try and fill the ever expanding void in their relationship with all the words she could. Back then she would just pull Emily out of her reverie by tugging on her right hand and letting it fall into her lap, tracing light circles on it the back of it while her eyes focused on the distance they still had to travel. If only things were that simple now.

It was hardly fair then, knowing Emily so well, knowing she would answer before thinking, for Naomi to ask her to come to her wedding right as two droplets of condensation had fallen, signaling the end of Emily's little game. Emily had never directly told her about it, but Naomi had spent hours quietly studying her, memorizing her. On plane flights, train rides, car rides, and taxi rides. She wanted something to hold onto even if it was just an infinite intimate knowledge of the redheads quirks, flaws, and flawless body.

After Emily said yes a look Naomi couldn't place flashed across her features. But Naomi couldn't focus on it. She had brought one invitation in her bag for this purpose. She had invited everyone from the old gang, even fucking Katie Fitch, hoping someone would bring Emily along. Carried around the stupid frilly invitation Alice insisted on in her bag the entire time she was in Bristol visiting her mum with this very intention. To run into Emily and trick her into coming. Naomi normally wasn't so cunning, but she had resolved she needed this. Needed Emily to watch her get married. Needed to watch Emily watch her get married. Because then maybe she'd stop thinking about her so much. Maybe stop doubting Alice. She hoped that when she shifted her eyes from those brown pools that once filled ANC warmed her with such adoration to Alice's clear green ones full of quiet strength she'd know she'd made the right choice in not going back to Emily again. She hoped it wouldn't backfire.


	3. Chapter 3

b Thanks for all your comments, etc. /b

"I ran into Naomi today," Emily whispered, "Invited me to her wedding."

"Are you fucking kidding?" Katie shrieked before twenty identical bob haircuts turned their way. She flipped them off, as Emily simultaneously mouthed "sorry", before turning back to Emily who was hiding behind her fringe.

"Can we talk about this later?" Emily murmured, frustrated with herself for bringing it up in the first place.

"No we cannot, you twat. I deliberately went out of my way to make sure you didn't catch wind of this fucking sham of a wedding. I even had to bride the fucking pervy postman to toss the tacky ass invitation before he even delivered it. And then Naomi thinks she can just traipse back to Bristol and unsuspectingly trick you into going. No. Fuck no," Katie whispered back, now aware of the attention being cast their way.

"I know, Katie, but can we talk about this later? We're at a Homeowner's Association meeting for fucks sake. We already have a demerit for the time you decided to paint our mailbox pink."

"Not my fault these old wankers wouldn't know style if it hit them in the face," Katie fumed.

Emily suppressed a giggle as Gertrude Madison, the head of the association, fixed the twins with a glare. They were a sight, though, the two of them. Katie was fresh from the gym dressed in a hot pink leopard print track suit, her brown hair in a high ponytail showcasing the pair of pearls she insisted on wearing even when she worked out. Emily was a bit more subdued, but still a far cry from the sea of pastel and beige that surrounded them in her ripped jeans and band t-shirt. They were the youngest members of the association, but in Katie's words "If we're going to pay the cunting bill every month, we may as well show up and have a laugh." And by laugh, Emily assumed Katie meant finding every excuse to offend, shock, or anger all the other members.

"And now onto the matter of on the street parking," Gertrude began.

"It needs to be put to a stop! This is a well respected neighborhood, not a parking lot!" Lillith, the twins neighbor, chimed in, staring pointedly at Katie.

"Someone needs to get laid," Katie stage whispered, before fixing Lillith with a patented Fitch glare, causing Lilith to squirm in her seat.

"So are you going to go?" Katie whispered to Emily.

Emily kept her eyes fixed on Gertrude. She studied each wrinkle and freckle on her face, the gray hairs poking out of her frilly, ridiculous hat.

"I don't know," she quipped.

"Surprise of the fucking century," Katie murmured, leaning back in her seat.


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for the short chapters, guys! I'm new to this whole thing. I truly appreciate all your comments and story alerts, etc. Hope you enjoy. : ) **

"Honey! I'm home!" This declaration is flourished with a slam of the door and Naomi visibly flinches at the sounds – both the greeting and the slam. She sits delicately in the corner of the couch – where the arm meets the back – her body practically fusing with it from inactivity. Her slender finger is poised over the power button on the TV. It'd been there for hours, waiting to fill the room's silence with whatever station Alice had left it on, probably some mindless channel Naomi would have immediately changed to the news if she wasn't so mindless herself at the moment. She was shaken from her earlier encounter with Emily, although she brought it on herself, she didn't anticipate the repercussions. The trainride and car rides did little to snap Naomi out of her reverie. She thought maybe when she was back in her home, filled with her and Alice's joint belongings it would bring her comfort, but instead she felt numb, and could only toss her purse in the corner by the door before falling onto the couch.

Her finger sprung to action turning the TV on as she heard Alice's actions – her keys gently knocking against the wall as they were hung on the hook, her heels clicking over to the basket she kept her shoes in and the light shuffle as she took them off and tossed them in. Naomi knew this routine all too well, she had spent hours waiting on Alice to get home from work, always hearing these repeated actions, reveling in the comfort of them and the fact that they would ultimately bring Alice to her arms. Now, her synapses were screaming at her that the entrance wasn't loud enough. There wasn't the incessant quacking of a duck keychain clattering on the wall, there weren't muttering and expletives as she tried to remove her shoes and the clonk as they fell wherever she took them off, there wasn't a huff as she hung up her jacket, and there certainly wasn't the slide of stockinged feet across the tile. But of course there wouldn't be – those were the actions of someone else entirely. Someone with bright red hair and chocolate eyes who would pounce on Naomi, prattling on about her day and occasionally showering Naomi with heated kisses.

Instead Alice sat gingerly on the sofa next to Naomi and placed a manicured hand on her exposed thigh. It wasn't the same. It wasn't enough. Naomi hastily pulled Alice onto her lap, eagerly joining their mouths, tasting the sticky vanilla lipgloss on Alice's lips briefly before shoving her tongue into her mouth. It was rough and urgent, but Naomi needed to feel Alice completely. Wanted to snap herself out of her misplaced nostalgia. Alice's hands gripped Naomi's hips, straddling them and deepening the kiss, her strawberry blonde waves cascading over Naomi's shoulders. But instead of being turned on, Naomi began to panic, Alice's grip was suddenly too strong, the nails running up and down her arms too long, digging into Naomi's flesh too harshly. She abruptly pulled away, shifting her gaze before she could see the questioning look she knew she'd find on Alice's face. She shifted Alice so she was sitting beside her again. The panic began to subside.

"Hi" Naomi said, her voice too composed, an overly enthusiastic lilt added to her usual monotone. Luckily Alice didn't notice, just rested her head on Naomi's shoulder and muttering into her neck, "I missed you".

Naomi closed her eyes, letting the words wash over her. Remembering why she fell in love with Alice in the first place. She placed a chaste kiss on her forehead.

"Missed you too, Al."


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you all for your story alerts and comments, etc. Don't worry about Naomi, she may be a bit of a twat sometimes, but she'll come around. I hate to be the person begging for comments, but just…they make me so happy : ), so if you could real quick. I'd be the happiest girl in all of fandom.**

Emily sat on her bed, turning the invitation over and over in her hands. There was a sheer overlay over the wording, masking it just enough to keep Emily sustained with just its simple image for now. Reading the words would come later, reading them would make it real and Emily would rather wallow for a bit longer in memories than read the words that would crush her.

_Naomi's hands ran absentmindedly through Emily's newly dyed locks, twirling them through her fingers and letting them drop onto the sheets as they lay in bed on a lazy Saturday._

_Suddenly Emily sat up, and Naomi's hands were frozen momentarily as she recuperated from the sudden movement. _

"_I forgot to show you this!" Emily says, springing up from the bed and grabbing something off the desk. _

_She presented Naomi with a brightly colored cardstock, announcing the marriage of Pandora Moon and Thomas Tomone. _

"_It came in the post earlier," Emily began "It's in a few months. I was figuring we could go. I mean if you want to, I know that you feel like marriage is a patriarchal institution and various other negative things, but I think it'd be nice to see everyone again. But if you don't want to it's – " she was abruptly cut off by Naomi's lips on hers. _

"_Sometimes that's the easiest way to shut you up," Naomi whispers against Emily's lips. _

_Emily pulls back slightly, pouting at her girlfriend. _

"_You know, you shouldn't always assume that whatever bullshit I spouted when I was young and soapboxy is how I feel now," Naomi says, pouting right back at the redhead. _

"_What do you mean?" Emily questions, laying back on the bed, feeling Naomi's weight beside her before taking her hand in hers and playing with her slender fingers. _

"_I mean, I'm not totally against the idea of marriage…not anymore really," she says, intertwining her fingers with Emily's and bringing them to her lips before kissing each one. _

"_Oh really, and what changed your mind, Ms. Campbell," Emily says cheekily, turning on her side and studying Naomi's features. Her sharp nose and striking eyes, the little crinkle in between her eyebrows that signaled she was thinking carefully about what to say next. _

_Naomi turns to face her, running a finger down the side of her face. Even after all these years Naomi's touch caused Emily's eyes to flutter closed. She opened them and found Naomi's crystal blue eyes studying hers. _

"_You did, you twat," she said before smiling and capturing Emily's lips. She pulled away, finding tears in Emily's expressive brown eyes. _

"_I think I quite like the idea actually. You in a white dress, all proper," her eyes haze over at the thought of it, "not to mention the sexy lingerie you could wear underneath it," she finishes, tugging on her lip with her teeth.._

"_Wow, I have turned you into such a sap," Emily says, but tears still line her eyes. _

_Naomi captures the tears with the pads of her thumbs. _

Emily shook her head, trying to rid herself of the memory before pulling back the hazy layer of the invitation and reading it.

Mr. and Mrs. Franklin Dwyer

are proud to announce the

marriage of their daughter

Miss Alice Dwyer to Miss Naomi Campbell.

Emily couldn't read the rest, her vision was blurred with tears and she lay back on her bed, throwing the offending paper onto the ground before rolling over, pulling the duvet over her shaking frame.

Naomi and her had split up a year and a half ago on combustible terms and it definitely stung that she had moved on so seemingly seamlessly so quickly. Emily had entertained a few fleeting relationships, but nothing that compared to what she and Naomi had, and then retreated into her own sorrow. She drown herself in work, taking home manuscript after manuscript and editing and proofreading them in record time. The only positive that had come out of their break up was her promotion, and none of that mattered to Emily. Being Executive Acquisitions Editor was her dream, but it seemed empty without someone to share it with. Without Naomi to share it with. Her fingers had twitched countless times over her number on her phone, wanting to share the news, but she always chickened out.

At that moment, Katie decided to burst in the door, breaking Emily out of her umpteenth wallow since she'd run into Naomi a week ago. Katie took one look at Emily, her eyes rimmed with tears, hugging the duvet like a lifeline before walking gingerly over to the bed. She perched herself on the edge of it, removing her heels before climbing into bed with Emily, wrapping her tightly in an embrace only a Fitch could muster.

"This sucks," Emily managed.

"I know, Emsy, I know," Katie said, tucking her chin in Emily's wavy hair.


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry this took a bit longer. Thanks for all your reviews. I'm glad you all are enjoying this. This one's just a bit longer, but not terribly. : ) **

Naomi sipped carefully out of her wine glass, watching the red liquid at the bottom as it drained rather than the questioning green eyes across from her. She placed her empty glass on the tableclothed surface and used the napkin on her lap to blot the sides of her mouth before finally gracing Alice with eye contact.

She was met with two pairs of green eyes, which were emanating some sort of anger as she cut her steak.

"What?" Naomi questioned, eyeing her vegetarian lasagna and poking it carefully with the edge of her fork.

"What's gotten into you?" Alice questioned, pointing at Naomi with her fork, her sparkling engagement ring catching the dim light in the restaurant.

Naomi studied Alice, how she methodically chewed on her rare steak, spearing another piece with her fork before giving her a look that meant she was waiting for an answer.

"I don't know what you mean," Naomi muttered into her lasagna, cutting it into tiny squares she would most likely reorganize on her plate without actually eating them. She wasn't particularly hungry and she had a nice buzz from the wine she didn't want to disrupt with carbs.

"You've been distant, moody...well more so than usual," Alice said, her brow furrowing as she placed a green bean in her mouth. Naomi watched again as she chewed, counting each movement of her jaw instead of relaying the reason for her sudden reticent behavior.

When Alice and her met she was nursing her breakup with Emily with alcohol and drugs and her constant state was the one Alice was describing. She didn't understand why it was such a shock to Alice, then, why she was at that place again.

If Alice hadn't resuscitated her, bringing her back to the real world, getting her a job with a newspaper and wrapping her up in a cocoon of comfort Naomi effortlessly slipped into, her behavior would have stayed stagnant at that pace.

Shouldn't, then, Alice allow her times of reservation? Time to think and be by herself. In no time, Naomi had turned the situation around.

"Aren't I allowed to be? To think...by myself. Spend time...by myself," Naomi countered. She kicked herself for how childish she sounded, the words echoing in her ears as those she'd said to Emily in the past, back when she was far more scared, and far less mature.

"Okay fine," Naomi relented easily, way too easily. She couldn't quite lie to Alice as hard as she tried. The wine wasn't helping.

"I ran into Emily." she confessed. Or lied, rather. She kind of stalked Emily around Bristol until she plucked up the courage to corner her in the cafe and trick her into going to the wedding. But she wasn't about to relay that to her fiancé.

"Oh," was Alice's simple reply, but Naomi could sense the hidden fury behind it, and as she tipped her wine glass back, downing the chardonnay in a gulp, Naomi stared at the corners of her eyes, noticing the wrinkles there, the ones that only made appearances when Alice was on the verge of tears.

"I invited her to the wedding," Naomi confessed. She blamed the wine, and despite her earlier resolve, took a large bite of her lasagna. She chewed it slowly, reveling in the fact that it kept her from speaking.

"You did what?" Alice said, bring her glass down onto the table too harshly.

Naomi continued chewing. Waiting until tears began to fall down Alice's blushing cheeks before she swallowed and reached over the table, collecting the tears with her thumbs.

"I invited her. It's been a long time since we dated and I think it'd be unfair for her to be the only one of my old friends not invited," Naomi answered, composed. She had thought about this conversation. Tried to find a way to justify Emily's invitation that might make sense to Alice.

"But she isn't just one of your old friends, Naomi. You two dated. For _six_ years," Alice reasoned, anger seeping into her words.

"And apparently, since you saw her, you've pulled away from me. You can't tell me that's a coincidence, Naomi."

"I haven't...I've just been...you can't just assume that, Alice. Work's been busy. The wedding's soon. I've just got a lot in my head," Naomi said, looking directly into Alice's sparkling green eyes for the first time that night.

"Okay," Alice said and she motioned for the waiter. Alice looked so small, sitting there wiping her mouth with her white napkin.

At that point, Naomi tuned everything else out. She knew Alice was asking for the check, she knew that she would pay for it, and thus find a way to filter her monetary dominance into their impending argument when they got home.

She knew she would be sleeping on the couch tonight.

Alice may have seemed small as she closed the argument, but the one thing Alice and Emily had in common was their tempers. She knew inside Alice was brewing a maelstrom of emotions and she would take them all out on Naomi when she got home. Naomi, in return, was building up her old walls, preparing for whatever Alice would throw at her, her only defense being stone cold stoicism.

Naomi lay on the couch, a bottle of vodka on her stomach on top of the duvet, a small, clear shot glass in her hand. She stared at it through bleary eyes as she poured the liquid into it. When her and Emily began their traveling, they decided on collecting shot glasses wherever they went. The one Naomi was currently tipping to her lips said 'SINGAPORE!' across it's glass surface, complete with a miniature skyline. Memories of their many trips were streaming across Naomi's subconscious, but at that point she was too drunk to focus on any one in particular. It was just flashes of red, moments of happiness, images of Emily's face, her legs, her milk skin. At this moment, she'd do anything to be inside that miniature skyline, with Emily, instead of lying on the couch, finishing off a bottle of vodka and feeling sorry for herself. Thankfully, the couch was comfortable. It had made the move from Naomi's university flat to her and Alice's house, it being the only acceptable bit of furniture Alice allowed Naomi to keep. It was tucked in 'her' room, which doubled as her office. She had bookshelves with her favorite books, newspapers she'd had pieces in, travel guides to places she'd been. This was the only place in the house where she had free reign in design. Plastered on the walls were posters from rallies Naomi had been a part of. She was glad for this room on nights like this when her and Alice would have fights so catastrophic Alice would fix her with a look she knew meant she'd be in her room that night. She didn't mind though. She had just hoped that she wouldn't end up here so close to the wedding. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to force all the thoughts out of her head. It was futile, as soon as she opened her eyes they were back. Memories. Moments. Thoughts too fragile to bother with analysis.

She tipped the vodka bottle to her lips, finishing the last of it before turning on her side, falling into fitful sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry for the delay, been lacking in motivation. Thanks for the reviews, etc. You're all wonderful. I have been forgetting to say so, but I don't own Skins. I don't know why, or if, I have to say that, but I'm putting it out there so you know. **

Emily stared at her phone. She received the text a week ago, and had yet to reply.

**Please come. x**

It came from an unknown number, but she knew who it was from. It also came at 2:32 am so it was safe to assume alcohol was involved. It didn't really warrant a reply, more of a decision, followed by an action. A decision she had yet to come to.

Hence why her attention was currently being divided between the illuminated screen of her phone and the empty duffel bag at the end of her bed.

…..

"So we're really doing this?" Katie asked, delicately folding a silk top before placing it in her suitcase.

"We're really doing this," Emily echoed, her own bag slung over her shoulder. She had been standing there, watching Katie pack for over an hour now, and she hadn't moved from the doorway, leaning into the frame slightly. The plastic strap of her duffel bag was digging into her shoulder, but she was long past caring. She knew if she moved, let any other thought pass through her head, that she might change her decision. But, as she was sitting on her bed hours ago in a state of contemplation, she decided that watching Naomi get married, especially because Naomi so desperately wanted her there, would serve as some sort of closure. Maybe then she could properly move on.

Katie zipped up her suitcase with a flourish, dropping it on the hardwood beside her and looking at Emily expectantly. Emily's eyes widened. They were really doing this.

...

Emily sat in the passenger seat watching Katie play with every control possible to adjust the drivers side to her comfort. They were halfway to London, and had stopped for gas when Katie proclaimed it was her turn to drive.

Katie placed her sunglasses over her eyes and looked over at her twin.  
"Okay. Direct me," she said.  
"For christssake Katie, I can drive. It is my car. I'm not going to have a nervous breakdown in the middle of the trip," Emily reasoned.

"No! I said I'd drive."  
"You refuse to make left turns!"  
"Just across traffic!" she argued, her lisp coming out.  
"Sometimes you have to do that," Emily said, staring at Katie in disbelief.  
"I'll be fine, Emily. But thanks for the vote of confidence," Katie snorted, lowering her sunglasses and giving Emily a pointed look, "Now just get me to the interstate"  
"Fine…take a left," Emily replied cheekily, staring absentmindedly at the book in her hands.  
"There's gotta be another way" Katie said, craning her neck around the streets around them trying to find an alternate route.

...

Karie threw her purse onto the double bed in the hotel room and then bounced down next to it, stretching her small frame across its length, her hot pink blouse standing out against the dull beige comforter

"So…" she said.  
"So," Emily replied.

"I brought something," she smirked when she said it, reaching into her suitcase and producing a slim bottle of off brand vodka.  
"For old times sake, yeah?" she said, holding her hands out for Emily to throw the disposable cups the hotel had supplied them with into.  
She unscrewed the cap and poured the thick clear liquid into the cups, passing Emily one as she plopped down next to her on the bed.

Emily took a large swig of the vodka, screwing her face up as it burned down her throat.

"Fuck, that's terrible," Emily said, turning the bottle in her hands, "Where the fuck did you get this shit anyways?"

"I was going for nostalgia over substance, Ems," she said.  
"Well, I guess appreciate the sentiment." Emily clinked their cups, chuckling at the crunching noise it produced.

...

Later that night, a lethal amount of cheap vodka and room service food in her system, Emily lie awake, listening to the light snores emanating from Katie, and allowing her mind to run a bit too much. In less than twenty-four hours she would be watching Naomi get married, her Naomi, the one who had loved her since she was twelve. Sometimes people linger in your life long after they're gone. Oftentimes it's because they hold parts of you that you're not comfortable letting go of. Naomi was her first in anything anyone could be a first of, and it was hard to let that go.

All around England, Emily had mental maps – each place littered with memories she'd tried so hard to displace. Most all including or revolving around Naomi. Roundview, of course with its multitude of memories, now populated with new sets of friends who would love, leave, fuck, and hurt each other just like their tiny group had in their stint there. The drugstore in London Emily had to venture to the night Naomi came down with the flu. The dingy pub where they'd fucked in every sense of the word in the toilets after going weeks without seeing each other due to finals. Their shared apartment in London, where Emily had tried and failed to assimilate herself into Naomi's new life, where they'd tried and failed to keep themselves together. Throughout the years, Emily had been comforted by the memories and the feelings each place evoked, but now each crevice of the cities seemed tainted with everything she'd lost.


	8. Chapter 8

**Warning! There's some smut in here. So NSFW. Although, I did write this at work soooo…. :) **

**Thanks for reading and reviewing and just being wonderful in general. I don't deserve it. **

.

Naomi wakes from a particularly vivid dream with a face full of Alice's strawberry blonde hair. She wasn't banished to her room anymore, now that she had rationalized the shit out of the whole inviting Emily business. But there was something off about Alice though. She was leaving bed early in the morning, coming home late, as if she was avoiding Naomi, and the sparkle and determination in her eyes was gone. Naomi wanted to capture it again, because looking into those green eyes always made her whole life seem to re-focus. And did Naomi ever need re-focusing. But it was gone, and Naomi hoped it would come back. Particularly before the wedding. And if not before, at least at the fucking altar.

She shifts in bed so she's lying on her back. A quick glance at the clock tells her it's 6 am on a Saturday, hence the fact that Alice hadn't scurried off to fuck knows where before Naomi. She swings her legs off the bed and shuffles to the shower. Since she's fully awake and all. Stepping into the shower she shuts the door and lets the hot water cascade down her. She can't help but allow her mind to shift to a memory, a memory which was usually buried so deep she never thought of it. She blamed the early hour and the scalding shower.

_Naomi's eyes shut briefly as she sticks her face into the steady stream of the shower. She's surprised when she turns around and opens her eyes to find a completely naked Emily Fitch in front of her. It had become a bit of a routine that before Naomi left for the train to university, her and Emily would shower together, limbs intertwined until the water was freezing cold. _

_But this morning, when Naomi woke up, Emily was still sleeping, her red hair splayed across the pillow, and not even the peppering of kisses that usually roused her woke her this morning. Naomi grudgingly made her way to the shower, alone. _

_That's why the sight of Emily now, in front of her, head cocked slightly to the side, a head full of messy red hair, and wrinkles down the side of her cheek from the pillow, was so surprising. As if by instinct, she pulled Emily flush against her, allowing the shower to wash over both their bodies. _

"_Morning," Emily said, her voice husky with sleep, before pulling Naomi into a searing kiss. She tasted mint and vanilla on Emily's lips, still swollen from their late night (and early morning activities), and laughed that Emily had brushed her teeth and applied lip gloss in her bleary early morning state. _

_Naomi pulled away from Emily, resting their foreheads together._

"_Good morning," she said, kissing Emily's nose, "You were sleeping so soundly, I didn't want to wake you."  
"I heard the shower," Emily replied before pulling Naomi into another heated kiss, pushing her back against the cold shower wall and pinning her wrists above her head. Naomi felt a clenching in her stomach at Emily's display of strength and let out a quiet moan as Emily pulled away from her slightly, "I didn't want to break our morning tradition," she husked before shoving two fingers into Naomi suddenly. _

Naomi was broke out of her reverie by a moan she realized was her own. She looked down to where her hand had subconsciously found itself, stroking her folds. She leaned against the shower wall and continued her ministrations, pinching one of her nipples with her free hand. She closed her eyes, her mind filling with red hair, brown eyes, and full lips, imagined Emily was the one pleasuring her. When she came she muttered a litany of curse words, and sprinkled in the middle was one name, and not the name of her fiancé. Her eyes sprung open and she cleared her throat, trying to rid herself of the images in her head, and the memory of what she'd just done. The water was freezing at this point, and she shut it off. Her body was covered in goose bumps, and not just from the water. Her and Alice hadn't been intimate in awhile. Alice wanted to abstain for a month before their wedding so the honeymoon would be "special". Sometimes she was so cheesy it made Naomi sick.

As she wrapped herself up in a towel she realized it. She was getting married tomorrow. She was getting married tomorrow and she'd just had a very vivid flashback of Emily. She was getting married tomorrow and she masturbated to the mere thought of Emily, and came harder than she had ever with Alice.

"Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck," she muttered, running a brush through her hair. She stared at her reflection. Who was this person? She was so sure of who she was; who she loved, and how her life was now, and then one ten minute practically one-sided conversation with Emily nearly a month ago had turned all of that upside down.

She walked gingerly into the room, careful not to wake Alice, she just couldn't deal with that, before getting dressed silently in a pair of baggy jeans and a jumper. She plucked her phone off the charger and flicked through the contacts as she stepped out of the room.

The phone rang in her ear before a clear voice came through the line.

"Hullo"

"Hey, can I come over?"

"Sure, I already made breakfast."

….

Effy opened the door to her flat, looking fresh faced and wide awake. Which was perplexing since it was currently 7:30 in the morning and she had never seen Effy awake before noon.

"How did you know I'd be up?" Naomi questioned.  
Effy didn't answer, just cocked an eyebrow up and ushered Naomi through the door.

She heard her stomach rumble at the sight of the waffles in front of her. Effy had prepared all her favorites.

"You've been in a funk lately," Effy shrugged the whole gesture off as if it was nothing. Naomi pulled her lanky frame into a tight hug before falling into a seat in front of a heaping plate of waffles.

"We really need to talk," she said to her best friend, in between bites.

"I know," Effy stated, plopping a grape in her mouth and chewing thoughtfully.

"You fucking always know. I'd find it irritating if it wasn't so convenient half the time," Naomi said through a mouthful.

"You're really attractive when you do that," Effy deadpanned and Naomi flicked her off.

….

"This is about Emily, isn't it?" Effy questioned, sitting next to Naomi on the couch in front of the TV. Something mindless was on, but neither of them were watching. Naomi was staring off, deep in contemplation, and Effy was trying her hardest to bridge the silence.

Naomi just looked over at her, a look of shock and a bit of guilt gracing her features. She crinkled her nose, "Am I that fucking obvious?"

Effy shrugged, "Only to me, I suppose. You have that Emily look about you. All dopey and kind of constipated."

"Oi!" Naomi yelped, tossing a pillow in Effy's direction.

"I love Alice," Naomi suddenly and randomly blurted.

"That sounds more like a question than a statement to me. Which is pretty fucked considering you're marrying the bitch tomorrow," Effy said.

Naomi's brow creased, "She's not a bitch."

Effy rolled her eyes, "Yea…she kind of is. But you're completely missing the point. Aren't you?"

"And the point is?" Naomi questioned, avoiding the issue. The whole point of her impromptu visit and current funk.

"Emily. She's always been the point," Effy stated, her blue eyes boring it to Naomi's crystal ones before her stare became too intense for Naomi and she became infatuated with the nail polish on her fingers, peeling it off it long strips.

Suddenly she looked back at Effy, finding her in the same spot, the same look in her eyes. Naomi's felt hot tears streak down her cheeks, finally releasing the maelstrom of emotions that had been brewing in her.

"What am I to do, Ef?" she questioned.

Effy didn't answer, just pulled Naomi to her and ran her fingers through her long silky peroxide blonde hair as her tears wet Effy's bare shoulder.


	9. Chapter 9

**I am SO SO SO sorry this is so incredibly late. My life has been beyond hectic, and I've had little to no inspiration to write. Here's a little tidbit. I wish it was longer, but I wanted to get something out. I promise to update, with longer chapters, weekly from now on. I hope you all are still reading! **

Emily stared at her image in the bright light of the hotel bathroom. Her red hair was dull and lay limp on her head. She studied the frown lines on her forehead, the wrinkles around her eyes. The problem with having a twin, especially one who is perpetually happier than you, is being able to see the stark differences between yourselves that come with age. Emily's worries and heartache and sorrow were written all over her face. She looked down from her image into the make-up bag propped open on the marble countertop of the hotel bathroom. She rifled through it before pulling out a tube of concealer, smearing it on her puffy under eyes, hoping to cover up her age, unhappiness, and lack of sleep with the sticky substance.

...

Katie was just placing her left heel on her foot when Emily walked out of the bathroom, her mascara running down her blushed cheeks, dressed only in a flimsy black slip.

"I can't do it, Katie" she said, staring into the identical brown eyes across from her.

"What? Pay the sodding extra dollar for waterproof mascara?" she bit back, but still stood, higher than Emily then in her three inch heels, and wiped the black smudges from beneath her eyes. Katie twirled them around and pushed Emily softly on the bed before kneeling in front of her. Emily automatically averted her eyes, avoiding the imminent lecture.

Katie tugged on Emily's chin with a manicured finger.

"Emsy, look at me. You are a Fitch. A fucking Fitch. You're going to put on the dress and heels I picked out for you, you're going to let me fix your god awful make-up job and you're going to go to this wedding with me. Alright?"

Emily merely nodded, a blank look in her eyes.

"Sorted. Now stand up and hop in the shower again. I'm pretty sure you used the hotel shampoo cause your hair looks like shit."

...

Once Emily got out of the shower, Katie was on her immediately, tugging at her wet hair with a comb, drying it in record time with the hot pink hair dryer she'd brought from home, and making Emily look refreshed and awake, despite the dark circles that now lay hidden beneath layers of concealer. Katie stepped back, admiring her work with a tiny smirk on her face.


	10. Chapter 10

**So so so so sorry that this is so ridiculously late. I have no excuses except that I'm possibly graduating in 20 days if all my efforts are worth it. Fingers crossed! **

**Here's a bit of a short chapter, but I can promise another one will be shortly after. I have it all planned :) **

Naomi stood in only her wedding lingerie on the balcony of her bridal suite, leaning her frame over the edge, a burning cigarette perched between her lips, the ash falling and swirling down the 10 flights to the waiting ground as it fell off the end. She turned around suddenly, feeling the sensation of a pair of searching blue eyes on her back. She took a long drag of the cigarette as she stared at Effy, standing framed in the sliding class door.

"Do you even realize what a mess you are half the time?" Effy stated, walking swiftly over to Naomi and plucking the cigarette from between her lips before discarding it over the railing.

"Suppose so," Naomi retorted, crossing her arms, and fighting the chill of the wind as it whipped around her barely clothed body.

"You're getting married in four hours. I have to do your makeup and your hair and somehow squeeze your fat arse into that dress, so get in there." Effy said, shoving Naomi through the open door, giving her a light pat on her bum.

Effy was tugging at Naomi's blonde locks with a comb when they heard a sharp knock at the door. Naomi's head automatically shot to the door, pulling the comb out of Effy's hand abruptly.

"Open the fucking door you slag," the unmistakeable voice of one Katie Fitch lisped from behind the chestnut door.

Naomis head sharply turned to meet Effy's gaze, her eyes perpetuating a calmness in stark contrast to Naomi's widened panic-stricken cerulean ones.

"You get it," Naomi mouthed. To which she only received a patented Stonem eyebrow raise.

"For fucks sake. Open the bloody door. I'm not planning on offing you or anything," Katie huffed.

Naomi hesitantly strode over to the door, grabbing the thick cotton robe the hotel had supplied her with in the process before gingerly opening the door a crack, the metal chain clanging against the wood, preventing the door from fully opening. Through the partially opened door, Naomi observed Katie, her arms folded over themselves, a look as far from amusement as possible on her perfectly made up face. She was wearing a tweed skirt and blazer set, which was, of course, a bordering on obnoxious shade of pink. She tapped her foot impatiently on the hardwood floor of the hall. Naomi, un-fazed by the awkward silence observed that Katie looked decidedly older, more mature, and, from the looks of her designer suit and pumps, obviously successful. Despite this positive analysis of her person, Naomi greeted her former friend with a sharp "What," her brow raising expectantly, hoping for an explanation for why Katie was at the door of her bridal suite just under two hours before her wedding.

"I come in peace," Katie said, raising her hands in a form of defeat against the staring contest her and Naomi were currently engaged in. "So can you unlatch that bloody chain and let me in?"

Naomi reluctantly unfastened the chain and opened the door and Katie barged into the room with a renewed vigor, the way only a Fitch could. Naomi realized suddenly that Katie's done up presence meant that Emily was with her, possibly in the very same hotel she was currently in. She felt a warm, comforting sensation settle into her bones, paired with a shiver done her spine that only Emily Fitch in a semi-close proximity could arouse in her.


End file.
